Mazda extends program to help young drivers reach IndyCar Series

It's the most generous program of its kind in open-wheel racing.

Since it was launched in 2010, the Mazda Road To Indy program has offered the most defined path for young drivers to reach the Verizon IndyCar Series, and has become open-wheel racing's greatest scholarship program. With its five-year contract completed, Mazda has announced an extension that will see the brand continue to invest in the series—and future stars—that will seed the next generation of IndyCar champions and Indy 500 winners.

The Road To Indy's architect, Mazda Motorsports boss John Doonan, explained why they've signed on to spend millions of additional dollars on the ladder system in the coming years.

"Since 2007, Mazda has made a commitment to a driver development program that is unlike anything else in the industry and anywhere in the world, for that matter," he said. "When we first announced the program, we had three main reasons why we wanted to make this investment: First, Mazda is a brand that has attracted a young buyer in the auto industry and we wanted to showcase our brand and the reliability of our production engines in front of a young audience.

"Next, all of us at Mazda are racers at heart….and we know that racing is an expensive sport. We felt that young drivers who have shown their talent on and off the track deserved the chance to go to the next level based on their success. We have tried to develop the complete package with the drivers in the program so they can be the best in the car, in front of sponsors, the media, and everywhere else.

Mazda Road to Indy Driver Development Ladder

Mazda

"And finally, we believed the industry needed this type of program because it did not exist; no one was helping the kids on the ladder to move up. The Mazda Road To Indy was an industry first—a very clear path from the grassroots levels of the sport to the highest levels of the sport, and we wanted to see it continue to grow and get stronger."

On top of providing series sponsorship and engines for the first two tiers of the ladder in USF2000 and Pro Mazda, Mazda will continue a longstanding relationship with Advanced Engine Research and will power the top step of the ladder in Indy Lights.

"Mazda funded the development of this engine and we have now found a very suitable application for it to positively impact our strategy and the industry," Doonan added.

Some of the numbers behind Mazda's investment in the Road To Indy are staggering. By cash prizes or free, full-season rides given to graduating Mazda Road To Indy champions, Doonan and his team members at Mazda have created an unparalleled program. No other manufacturer spends as much to ensure open-wheel talent is rewarded with opportunity.

UFS2000 Race

Marshall Pruett

"We have funded over 50 drivers with full-season budgets. This support represents a $25 million investment in the future of our sport, and Mazda's future," Doonan said. "Mazda scholarship drivers in USF2000 enjoy a prize package valued at over $200,000. Mazda scholarship drivers coming into the Pro Mazda Championship from USF2000 are presented a prize package worth over $325,000. And, finally, scholarship drivers coming up into Indy Lights from Pro Mazda have a scholarship program worth up near $600,000. The investment develops careers and the future stars of IndyCar."

In addition to the financial support available with the Mazda Road To Indy, Mazda will continue to work with IndyCar and its two engine providers, Chevy and Honda, to promote the next wave of stars as they move through open-wheel's farm system.

"Candidly, I like to believe there is a mutual respect among us and our competitors in the industry," Doonan noted. "We all have different tactics and different strategies, but we all hope to try to grow the sport for common good."

With Chevy and Honda focused on powering their respective teams in the IndyCar Series, it's fair to say Mazda is the brand responsible for delivering most of their drivers.

"While our engines are not at the highest level of IndyCar, Mazda and the Mazda Road To Indy is the 'engine' that certainly powers others to the top ... There are two engine manufacturers in IndyCar, but as I see it, three manufacturers are involved," Doonan said.

Doonan also credited the engine builders who provide engines to all three tiers of the Mazda Road To Indy.

"And the quality work that has been done by Elite Engines in USF2000, by SpeedSource Race Engineering in Pro Mazda, and now by AER in Indy Lights also deserves to be recognized and complimented," he continued. "These three organizations have played a key role in servicing the Mazda Road To Indy race teams and proving the reliability and durability of Mazda power in the harsh environment of motorsports."

Mazda's Road To Indy program is operated in partnership with Dan Andersen and his Andersen Promotions outfit, and as Doonan explains, the decision to continue the ladder system was easy due to the people involved.

"Without a single doubt, Dan Andersen, his daughter Michelle, everyone at Andersen Promotions, and all of the partners of the Mazda Road to Indy are considered members of the Mazda family," he said. "I certainly hope that everyone in the industry recognizes what Dan has done for this sport."

The Road To Indy also serves as part of Mazda's wide-reaching grassroots motorsports activities that extend to club racing in the SCCA and NASA, one-make championships, the lower rungs of sports car racing in IMSA, and the top Prototype class in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. As a whole, Mazda's open-wheel expenditures represent a sizable annual program that reaches from coast to coast.

"Now, the icing on the cake is we were finally able to put all three levels of the Mazda Road To Indy together with Mazda power." Doonan remarked. "This final point, in and of itself, made today's announcement a special moment for all of us at Mazda. To be part of something that does not exist anywhere else in the world is really a big deal for us and all of our partners in the program."

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